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Ordeal

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Where Roses Never Die: Varg Veum

September 1977. Mette Misvãr, a three-year-old girl, disappears without trace from the sandpit outside her home. Her tiny, close middle-class community in the tranquil suburb of Nordas is devastated, but their enquiries and the police produce nothing. Curtains twitch, suspicions are raised, but Mette is never found.

Voices

The Christmas rush is at its peak in a grand ReykjavIk hotel when Inspector Erlendur is called in to investigate a murder. The hotel Santa has been stabbed to death, and Erlendur and his fellow detectives find no shortage of suspects between the hotel staff and the international travelers staying for the holidays. As Christmas Day approaches, Erlendur must deal with his difficult daughter, pursue a possible romantic interest, and untangle a long-buried web of malice and greed to find the murderer.

I'm Traveling Alone

A six-year-old girl is found in the Norwegian countryside, hanging lifeless from a tree and dressed in strange doll's clothes. Around her neck is a sign that says, "I'm traveling alone." A special homicide unit in Oslo reopens with veteran police investigator Holger Munch at the helm. Holger's first step is to persuade the brilliant but haunted investigator Mia Krüger, who has been living on an isolated island, overcome by memories of her past.

Jar City

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The Caveman

Viggo Hansen was a man nobody ever noticed, even though he lived in the midst of a close-knit community. His death doesn't hit the headlines, but there is something about the case that catches the attention of William Wisting's journalist daughter, Line, and she decides to write a newspaper article with a different twist for the festive season: the portrait of a completely anonymous and obscure person whose death goes unremarked and unmourned.

Eva's Eye: Inspector Sejer Mystery, Book 1

Eva Magnus and her daughter are out walking by the river when a man's body floats to the water's surface. Eva goes to call the police, but when she reaches the phone, she dials another number altogether.

Sun Storm

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Dregs

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We Shall Inherit the Wind: Varg Veum

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The Secret Hangman

Delia Williamson, a waitress and mother of two young girls, is reported missing. She is soon found in a public park, hanging from the crossbar of a children's swing set. The postmortem reveals that she has been murdered. Her current partner, her ex-husband, and a traveling salesman who frequented her restaurant are all suspects. Before Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond can solve the mystery, more will die. But even as he pursues a killer, he finds himself pursued by a secret admirer.

The Ice Princess

Returning to her hometown after the funeral of her parents, writer Erica Falck finds a community on the brink of tragedy. The death of her childhood friend, Alex, is just the beginning. Her wrists slashed, her body frozen in an ice cold bath, it seems that she has taken her own life. Erica conceives a memoir about the beautiful but remote Alex, one that will answer questions about their lost friendship. While her interest grows to an obsession, local detective Patrik Hedstrom is following his own suspicions about the case.

Another One Goes Tonight: Peter Diamond, Book 16

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The Lost Boy: The Fjällbacka Series, Book 7

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Closed for Winter

The summer cottages are closed, and peace is settling over the coast of Vestfold, but the autumn fog conceals evil deeds. Ove Bakkerud’s cottage is ransacked by burglars, and next door he discovers the body of a man who has been beaten to death. Police Inspector William Wisting is uneasy; the desperation he sees in this latest murder is troubling. Meanwhile dead birds are dropping from the sky.

Friday on My Mind: A Frieda Klein Mystery

A bloated corpse turns up in the Thames, throat slashed, and the only clue is a hospital wristband reading "Dr. F. Klein". Frieda is taken to see the body and realizes with horror that it is Sandy, her ex-boyfriend. She's certain that the killer is Dean Reeve - the man who has never stopped haunting her. But the police think he has been dead for years, and Frieda is their number one suspect. With few options, Frieda goes on the run to save herself and try to uncover the truth.

The House Sitter: Peter Diamond, Book 8

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The Hanging Club

A band of vigilante executioners roam London's hot summer nights, abducting evil men and hanging them. Sentenced to death is the gang member who abused vulnerable girls, the wealthy drunk driver who mowed down a child and the hate preacher calling for the murder of British troops. As the bodies pile up and riots explode all over the sweltering city, DC Max Wolfe embarks on his most dangerous investigation yet: hunting a gang of killers whom many believe to be heroes....

Dark Water: Detective Erika Foster, Book 3

When Detective Erika Foster receives a tip-off that key evidence for a major narcotics case was stashed in a disused quarry on the outskirts of London, she orders for it to be searched. From the thick sludge the drugs are recovered, but so is the skeleton of a young child. The remains are quickly identified as seven-year-old Jessica Collins. The missing girl who made headline news 26 years ago.

tmitch says:"i really love this series!! i have listened to all three books. i hope there is another one soon."

A Great Reckoning: A Novel

When an intricate old map is found stuffed into the walls of the bistro in Three Pines, it at first seems no more than a curiosity. But the closer the villagers look, the stranger it becomes. Given to Armand Gamache as a gift the first day of his new job, the map eventually leads him to shattering secrets. To an old friend and older adversary. It leads the former Chief of Homicide for the Sûreté du Québec to places even he is afraid to go. But must. And there he finds four young cadets in the Sûreté academy, and a dead professor. And, with the body, a copy of the old, odd map.

Meet Me in Malmo: Inspector Anita Sundstrom, Book 1

A British journalist is invited to Malmö to interview an old university friend who is now one of Sweden's leading film directors. When he discovers the director's glamorous film-star wife dead in her apartment, the Skåne County Police are called in to solve the high-profile case.

Blood Lines: Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series, Book 5

A victim killed with a single, precise stab to the heart appears at first glance to be a robbery gone wrong. A caring, upstanding social worker lost to a senseless act of violence. But for Detective Kim Stone, something doesn't add up. When a local drug addict is found murdered with an identical wound, Kim knows instinctively that she is dealing with the same killer. But with nothing to link the two victims except the cold, calculated nature of their death, this could be her most difficult case yet.

The Trespasser: A Novel

Being on the murder squad is nothing like Detective Antoinette Conway dreamed it would be. Her partner, Stephen Moran, is the only person who seems glad she's there. The rest of her working life is a stream of thankless cases, vicious pranks, and harassment. Antoinette is savagely tough, but she's getting close to the breaking point. Their new case looks like yet another by-the-numbers lovers' quarrel gone bad. Aislinn Murray is blond, pretty, groomed to a shine, and dead in her catalogue-perfect living room, next to a table set for a romantic dinner.

Publisher's Summary

Chief Inspector Van Veeteren knew that murder cases were never as open-and-shut as this one: Janek Mitter woke one morning with a brutal hangover and discovered his wife of three months lying facedown in the bathtub, dead. With only the flimsiest excuse as his defense, he is found guilty of a drunken crime of passion and imprisoned in a mental institution.

But Van Veeteren's suspicions about the identity of the killer are borne out when Mitter also becomes a murder victim. Now the chief inspector launches a full-scale investigation of the two slayings. But it may only be the unspoken secrets of the dead - revealed in a mysterious letter that Mitter wrote shortly before his death - that will finally allow Van Veeteren to unmask the killer and expose the shocking root of this sordid violence.

I usually don't like mysteries that jump around and don't stay focused on the detective.

This mystery focuses on the point of view of a murder suspect and also the detective. Still, the writing and plotting is so good, and the detective appealing, so it did not matter. I really eased into this book without any trouble and enjoyed it tremendously.

The narration is excellent. Van Veteeren is, on the surface, not very interesting, but then we realize he is weirdly intuitive. He's quite likeable ultimately.

This is not a novel full of insane serial killers and gore (although it has its graphic parts). It's not Jo Nesbo (thank God, I think Nesbo is horrible). It's not frenetic and freaky like Lars Kepler (The Hypnotist). It is more in line with Henning Mankell, though Van Veteeren, based on this one novel, does not seem as troubled as Wallander, and is not put in as many adventure type situations.

Bottom Line: Nesser is a smart writer and this book is very solid and satisfying. The mystery is smart and keeps you interested. I am looking forward to experiencing the other books in the series. I'm saving them and I'm going to pace myself so as to not burn through them too quick.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This story held my interest, but the characters weren't really well developed. Too much happens at the end without sufficient story and character development to support it.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Most interesting aspect is finding out what happened during the suspected murderer's blackout. Least interesting is the character development of the victim and the murderer.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

As usual, Simon Vance's performance was outstanding. He can modify his voice to suit a multitude of characters without sounding strange. He is just very easy to listen to -- one of the best readers I've heard.

Scandinavian thrillers have a strong dependency on the main character. There's Carl Morck, Lisbeth Salander, and Erlandur who are my favorites. The main detective in mind's eye just wasn't interesting or believable. At one point he makes a bet that he'll solve the case or quit and go on vacation and I just didn't care. Perhaps the books get better as you progress...

Nesser's work is dark, engaging, well-paced, eloquent, with a bit of wit and introspection to spice it up. This is a psychological thriller, a procedural. The wit is more reserved than that of Adler-Olson. I'm anxious to listen to the next book in the series. The narration is perfect.

This was one of those audio books I couldn't put down. Listened to it in just two sittings. I enjoyed the story, but wish the setting had come a bit more into play in this book.

The main character, Inspector Von Veeteren, is a bit of a curmudgeon, but being a huge Morse fan, I can't complain about that. I wonder what his toothpick budget is on top of the cigarettes.

Anyway, the story is what sells this book and the characters of the victims and the suspects more than the police. The plot is definitely different to most standard mystery novels. Complex, but not overly complicated. I can't wait to listen to another book by this author.

Starts well but the plot's a little thin. Not yet sure I'll buy another by this author but perhaps the next book, now that this one has introduced some ongoing characters, will be an improvement. I' rather read/listen to Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q series instead.

Simon Vance, as ever, does a great performance using distinctive voices for each character and is always a joy to listen to.

On a quest to find and enjoy yet another Scandinavian mystery author, I'm thankful to a reading friend who introduced me to the first DI Van Veeteren mystery series. These are psychological police procedurals of the first order. They very much remind of the series by authors Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo.

DI Van Veeteren chews on toothpicks while he thinks, and depends on his sense of intuition in discovering his suspects---solving 19 out of 20 cases with this assurance. In this first case a viciously murdered wife is found dead in the same apartment as her husband, who has lost his memory of that evening. He is promptly convicted and put in a mental institution, but something doesn't quit set with Van Veeteren. He's intuition is proved correct when the husband is murdered in the mental hospital.

The book continues with the process of finding the real murderer. This 'process' definitely 'makes' this DI a winning character, and I can see why this author is so popular in his home country. The translation is very good, and adds to the story. Looking forward to reading lots more in this series from Sweden!!